In emergency situations, it is sometimes necessary to gain access to an environment that is not openly accessible. For example, when an automobile is involved in an accident, it may be necessary to break the glass of the automobile to gain access to the automobile's interior and anyone inside the automobile. In another example, when emergency rescue personnel are positioned within a structure, such as a house or commercial building, with no safe exits available, it may be necessary to break the glass of a window to create an exit through which the emergency rescue personnel can exit the structure. When breaking glass to provide access to an environment, it is desirable to both protect the individual breaking the glass such that they are not exposed to shards of glass and to prevent exposure to potential hazards that may exist within the environment the individual is attempting to gain access.
Current devices that are utilized to break glass and provide access to an environment are handheld, which require the individual utilizing the device to break the glass while standing adjacent to the glass and holding the device. This can result in injury to the individual by broken glass becoming embedded in the individual's body or as a result of the manual force required to advance the handheld device through the glass. Furthermore, current devices prevent the individual from breaking glass while positioned a distance from the glass in instances in which a fire or other hazardous situation exists in the environment within which the individual is attempting to gain access.
Therefore, a need exists for new and useful impact tools.